Panacea on the Road to Peru

Sabidura

We named this journey Sabiduria, as this is a Spanish word for “the wisdom that endures”.  We figured that this tied in well with the purpose of visiting the ancient ruins of the Incas, a very wise culture.  Our retreat began in Cusco – where we all gathered at the Samana Vacation apartments.  It was nice to have apartments, which helped Debbie to bless us with an opening dinner, along with a great lunch to go on one of our busier days.  We can’t thank Jacky, our “housemother” and Rut, who helped coordinate all of our transportation and tour enough.

The first full day of the retreat we all had a super tour of the important Incan sites in the Cusco area with Flor Ramos.  She helped us to see how the Incas continued to blend their beliefs into the Spaniards culture, and informed us on how spiritual and nature-oriented the Incas were.

The second day, Jesus Amadeus escorted us to Ollantaytambo, to catch the Peru Rail train that took us to Aguas Caliente.  As we arrived in the early evening, it was a free night for checking out the baths, having dinner, and getting a good night’s sleep.  The next morning, rooftop yoga with an incredible view, a quick breakfast, and off to Machu Picchu.  Jesus and Alvarro guided us around the incredible mountain top city, giving us insight into how the Incas constructed and lived in this magical place.  It is simply not possible to put into words the energy there – it must be experienced.

The next day, we made our way to Pisac, in the Sacred Valley to our home away from home at Paz Y Luz, a delightful hotel and healing center.  We were greeted with a welcoming lunch by Maxi, the owner of Maxi’s Chakana Café on the hotel grounds.

For the next few days, we had our morning asana, pranayama, and meditation practices, as well as our afternoon discussions here.  It was comfortable and quiet after our first few days of Cusco and Aguas Caliente!  We explored the Artisan’s market in town, where there were many colorful sights, and good shopping!

The afternoon of the sixth day, we had an amazing Despacho ceremony led by Don Basillio, a local shaman.  Each of us were impressed by his ability to “read” our energy and choose the exact right symbol for us to place in the medicine bundle.  A powerful ceremony, ending with a great hugfest by the fire.  It only got better when we celebrated Johannes’ birthday with a delicious cake.

Our last day, we explored the ruins of Inti Huaytana, a vast complex that we could see up in the mountains from the hotel.  Though it alternated sun, then rain and wind, it was another fascinating site of Incan construction and ingenuity.  That afternoon we had our closing circle and dinner – a lovely end to a perfect week.

May your daily journey bring you ever closer to your truth, and may your adventures join with us in exploring the world!

Mary, Debbie, and Peter

Panacea on the Road